The Cannes Palme D’Or-Winning Director’s Adaptation of Acclaimed Author Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Beloved Manga was an Official Selection at Venice, Toronto and BFI London Film Festivals
GKIDS, the Academy Award®-winning producer and distributor of acclaimed and artist-driven globally inspired cinema, announced the sentimental drama Look Back from Palme d’Or winner and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda (Shoplifters, Broker) will open in select theatres beginning December 30th, with a nationwide expansion on January 15. The feature is the first live-action adaptation of the best-selling and globally beloved manga “Look Back” from the critically acclaimed creator Tatsuki Fujimoto. GKIDS also released a new poster and a trailer in anticipation for the film’s theatrical release.
The tender coming-of-age story made its world premiere at Venice Film Festival, followed by its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and most recently held its UK premiere at BFI London Film Festival.
Look Back joins GKIDS’ growing catalog of contemporary live-action cinema, following the upcoming releases of the sentimental drama and coming-of-age romance 5 Centimeters Per Second on October 23 and the highly anticipated blockbuster Godzilla Minus Zero. Last year, GKIDS entered this historic new phase with its theatrical release of the Oscar-nominated and record-breaking Japanese box office phenomenon KOKUHO alongside theatrical re-releases of the comedy-drama cult classic Linda Linda Linda directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita, and the acclaimed 2016 global hit Shin Godzilla from director Hideaki ANNO and co-director Shinji Higuchi.
Synopsis:
Confident grade-schooler Fujino draws comics for her school newspaper, earning the admiration of her classmates. When her artwork is surpassed by her reclusive peer Kyomoto, she becomes obsessed with honing her skills, eventually burning out and giving up drawing altogether. But when Fujino finally meets Kyomoto, she discovers that Kyomoto has been her devoted fan all along. Bound by their shared passion, they spend irreplaceable years drawing manga together until a fateful event changes their lives forever.
From Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Koreeda, Look Back is a love letter to the artistic process, hand-written in ink on paper, and a meditation on how mutual pursuit of a craft creates the deepest etches in our memory.
©Tatsuki Fujimoto/SHUEISHA ©2026 K2 Pictures・SHUEISHA
About Hirokazu Koreeda
Born in Tokyo in 1962. After graduating from Waseda University’s Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, he joined TV Man Union and directed documentary programs. He made his feature film directorial debut in 1995 with Maborosi, which won the Golden Osella Award at the Venice International Film Festival. He has continued to create works focusing on family dynamics and social issues, including Nobody Knows, Like Father, Like Son, Our Little Sister, and Shoplifters, earning great acclaim both domestically and internationally. In 2018, Shoplifters won the Palme d’Or at the 71st Cannes International Film Festival and went on to gross $72 million worldwide. Koreeda has expanded his activities to include international co-productions, anchoring his worldwide reputation as a leading figure in Japanese cinema.